updated 05:27 am EST, Tue January 22, 2013

Claimed Durango system architecture makes appearance

Claiming a world exclusive, VGLEAKShas revealed the purported system architecture for the next generation Xbox. Codenamed Durango, many of the claimed specifications align with what we already know about the device. If accurate, the architecture also reveals a few surprises, including an HDMI-in port, as well as the expected HDMI-out.

Exactly what purpose an HDMI-in port would servce is unclear, but it does open up the possibility that Microsoft has plans for the device to be interoperable with an additional device. While the venerable Xbox 360 continues with a triple-symmeticral core IBM PowerPC chip, the next-gen Xbox will get an eight core CPU featuring an x64 architecture which is a 64-bit design backwards compatible with x86.

Somewhat surprisingly though, it will be clocked at just 1.6GHz, which suggests that the chip will complete more instructions per cycle, as well as help to ensure Microsoft avoids any red ring of death, heat induced fiasco that plagued the original version of the 360. Having an octa-core arrangement will also provide plenty of additional processing power, despite the lower clock speed. Similarly, the custom GPU is only clocked at 800MHz, but has 12 shader cores able to simultaneously process 768 threads. Both the CPU and GPU share a much more generous 8GB of system RAM.

As previously rumored, Microsoft will license Blu-ray technology from Sony, to help ensure it matches Sony's PS4 (Orbis) in the all-round entertaintment stakes. Wi-Fi and Wi-Fi Direct will also be integrated from the outset.

The next-generation Xbox is widely expected to debut in time for the holiday season later this year.